Born in France from a French father and a German mother, Michel was raised and schooled in Montreal. He is married to Monique and they have 2 children; Philippe-Alexandre and Camille.

Michel studied in architecture before obtaining his degree in Hotel Management for the Institut de Tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec in 1980 all the while working as a front desk agent at the famous Queen Elizabeth Hotel in downtown Montreal.

Fresh out of school, Michel was recruited by Commonwealth Hospitality of Canada and started his management career as Director of Catering in Quebec City. Eventually, he was given the opportunity to manage the Food and Beverage operations for the Delta Ottawa hotel. This posting permitted him to draw up and conceive a new themed restaurant while also approving staff training and supervising the renovations.

The restaurant received rave reviews and was eventually the inspiration for many of the Delta Hotels main food and beverage venues.

Michel’s first move to a General Managers position came in 1988. The downtown Montreal hotel (now a Days Inn) was very busy and the challenge was to increase the Average Daily Rate. Over the course of his near three year tenure, the A.D.R. did improve by close to 18%. The opportunity to open a fresh new hotel presented itself to Michel and he seized the chance to manage the Chateau Cartier in Gatineau, Quebec. The hotel opening process, from start to finish, was achieved in the required 4 months, within the allotted budget and with great success.

His next posting was at Le Plaza de la Chaudière in anticipation of transforming the stately independent hotel into a Crowne Plaza Hotel. Michel managed the renovations and the day to day operations of this major player in the National Capital. The results exceeded the most optimistic expectations. From an annual expected operational loss, the property was turned around to ultimately achieve a respectable profit.

Michel’s family was instrumental in his next move. Rich from his experience in Gatineau, the family decided to accept a move to Puerto Rico at the very successful Crowne Plaza Hotel-Casino Isla Verde, San Juan. The hotel held an occupancy rate of 85% with a high profit margin. The upkeep of such a busy property was paramount as the hotel routinely faced hurricanes.

After 3 years in the Caribbean, Michel created MG Consultants with collaborators in such diverse fields of expertise as accounting and mystery shoppers. The next career move gave Michel the reigns of 2 properties in Mali, West Africa. The local owner required a seasoned hotel manager to oversee the newly built Hotel Salam and the venerable Grand Hotel in Bamako. Both properties had excellent financial results but were lacking in basic skills training. The rationalisation of the operations brought the hotels to new heights with gross operating profits reaching the 70% range. The extensive food and beverage operations included outside catering and Michel was often called upon to arrange State dinners for visiting heads of states and dignitaries from around the globe. The 3 year contract having come to an end, Michel re-opened his consulting firm all the while searching for a permanent position.

Since August of 2006, Michel manages the Grand Lodge in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec and on January 1 2007, he was made Vice-President of Operations for Distinguished Hotels International.